How Far We’ve Come…
Since we are celebrating our 25th anniversary we thought it would be fun to dig through our archives and share some of the articles and news we published on MORE’s first printed newsletter, “Trailhead.” Over the next few weeks we’ll “Throw back Thursday” and share some of these with you. The “Of Note” below appeared in the December 1995 Issue. It gives you a snapshot of how long the club and its volunteers have been working to gain access to valuable riding destinations…
The included attachments represent early work by MORE’s leadership and key volunteers to gain access to the “Shed”. These, along with many more efforts from our current liaisons and dedicated volunteers such as Philip VanWerkhoven, David Kalt, and Joe Whitehair set the tone that led to MORE’s current MOU with the City of Frederick; Indeed, how far we’ve come…
Of Note…
…the Frederick Watershed remains open! The Utility Committee of the City of Frederick met November 15th to consider the impacts and issues surrounding trail cycling. Early rumors of an imminent closure caused MORE to mobilize in advance of the meeting, contacting local officials and consulting with IMBA’s Tim Blumenthal. Member Brad Convis addressed the committee armed with stats about our trail maintenance activities and a willingness to work with land managers to mitigate problems. Public officials stressed that the Watershed area exists to provide the city with its water supply, and was not particularly intended as a recreational area. They also expressed safety concerns about illegal parking along the roadside. Nonetheless, they seemed amenable to continued use by mountain bikers and welcomed MORE’s initiative.
The letter below was submitted by then MORE’s VP Martin Fernandez to the Frederick City Council to offer MORE’s help in maintaining the trails. MORE Member Brad Convis used it when addressing the committee, along with additional documents.
Brad’s request to schedule a trail work day at the shed was promptly approved.
